Tulsa no longer the 'Oil capitol' of the US

Tuesday, April 27th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Citgoâ€™s announcement on Monday is not unique. Citgo is just the latest in a long list of oil companies to leave Tulsa for Houston, which is now considered the oil capitol of the US.

Not too long ago, Tulsa had that distinction. News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says a lot of these downtown skyscrapers were built with oil money.

That was from the time when Phillips and Skelly and Getty dominated the oil business. All of those men lived right here in Tulsa. And there was plenty of oil to be found in Oklahoma - making this not just an important region for exploration - but also a center of technology and equipment used in the business - a legacy that still defines Tulsa.

Dewey Bartlett Jr. with Keener Oil: "Everything we see downtown, the hospitals and the universities all of them have to do with those early day pioneers of the oil and gas industry."

Years ago, when the golden Driller at the Tulsa County Fairgrounds was new - the world's top oil men came to Tulsa for the oil exposition out at the fairgrounds.

The last major company to leave before Citgo was Parker Drilling Company - which moved out last year. They also relocated to Houston, Texas. Tulsa still has a considerable share of the natural gas business - which is far more plentiful now in Oklahoma than oil.